How To File A Claim In A Multiple Auto Accident in California
In the state of California, it is common for multiple vehicle car accidents to happen. Think about all the traffic of people commuting to Los Angeles. The wide freeways spanning 6 lanes across. Just the regular amount of cars on the 405, 5, 101 are enough to cause numerous accidents daily. These claims can be tricky from a liability standpoint and from an insurance claims processing perspective. When three or more motor vehicles are involved in a crash, the “blame game” becomes such that these claims can often not be settled without litigation to truly understand the exact cause or, more likely, causes of the crash and the legal responsibilities of the various drivers involved. No matter the case, it’s best to leave these decisions to car accident lawyers because they understand the laws of the state and can guide you in the proper direction. Contact Krasney Law at (909) 380-7200 for a free consultation. We are here to help guide you through the mess of the law.
How Do The Highways & Busy Streets Work Involving Multiple Cars?
California is not like many states where they can thrive on close by public transportation like New York for example. We have large multiple lane highways that a majority of citizens have to use in order to get to their day to day jobs. As more and more traffic congestion prompts further lane expansions, lanes get more numerous and less wide. This leaves little “margin for error.”
Many times drivers forget to use their blinkers when changing lanes, or the tailgate each other because they are in a rush or having road rage. Driving like this does not give the driver enough time to react and leads to car accidents and sometimes even a multi-car pile-up worst-case scenario. It only takes one driver not traveling at a safe speed or distance to initiate an abrupt stop, slow down or lane change and cause other cars to either rear end that vehicle or veer into another lane of travel and cause a chain reaction.
Other Factors That Cause Multi-Car Collisions
In 2018 alone, the National Highway Traffic Safety Association released numbers saying that 36,750 people were killed as a result of a car collision, making it the third deadliest decade in America. Conditions that affect the road could be extreme weather such as rain or snow. This causes the roads to become slippery which increases the odds of car collisions. Drivers must make “split-second” decisions which cause people to make irrational moves in order to prevent a crash. In addition, the size and weight of vehicles play a large role in causing these crashes between three or more vehicles.
What Does California Law Say About Liability In A Multiple Car Accident?
As I have discussed many times elsewhere in this blog, California is a “comparative fault” state with regard to tort liability and negligence. This means that the “trier of fact” (judge or jury) awards damages to those persons according to their degree of fault in any particular situation. If there is a fault on the part of the plaintiff, the trier of fact is allowed to reduce the award of money damages by that percentage of fault. Likewise, any and all persons who contribute to the accident and are a “substantial factor” in causing harm are liable. California law defines “substantial factor” as follows: “A substantial factor in causing harm is a factor that a reasonable person would consider to have contributed to the harm. It must be more than a remote or trivial factor.
In a multi-car collision, any person who contributed to damages to the vehicle and personal injuries is at risk for being liable. That is why it is important to contact a lawyer immediately after you have contacted insurance and got the other drivers involved information. this is also including present and future medical expenses, lost wages or the value of lost earning capacity for permanent physical or mental disability, “general damages” for physical pain and mental suffering related to the bodily injury sustained, and property damage.
Contact A Car Accident Lawyer In California For Legal Help & Questions Today!
Hiring a car accident lawyer can allow you to look in-depth at the accident and have someone make sure you aren’t at fault by law. They can go over any questions you might have. Without this level of analysis, these claims often settle for pennies on the dollar of what they are worth resulting in the victim paying out of pocket for unforeseen charges. All of these factors make it crucial to seek out the help of a trusted car accident attorney! For more information on any multiple vehicle accident claim anywhere in California including free consultations, contact us of the facts of your particular situation, call toll free statewide in California at (909) 380-7200.